Brandon Minute: Issue 79

Brandon Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Brandon politics

📅 This Week In Brandon: 📅

• Brandon’s Minor Injury and Illness Clinic (MIIC) is celebrating its one-year anniversary since opening on September 27th, 2024. Located at 144 6th Street, the clinic was the first of its kind outside Winnipeg, designed to provide timely care for families and seniors with less urgent medical needs. It offers appointments online, by phone, or via walk-in, with special referral slots for patients redirected from Brandon Regional Health Centre ED to reduce wait times. Since opening, over 8,600 patients have been treated, helping improve access to primary care and supporting the local health system. The clinic is staffed by a mix of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, and other healthcare professionals. 
  
  
• Brandon’s Community Sportsplex ice arena is set to reopen on October 1st, 2025, after being closed since March 2023 due to safety concerns with its aging ammonia ice plant. City staff conducted assessments, public consultations, and invested in extensive repairs to ensure the facility is safe and ready for use. The reopening will restore a key community hub for programs including learn-to-skate, figure skating, and high-performance hockey. Arena rentals will begin on October 6th, and a grand re-opening celebration is planned for October 11th, featuring a ceremony, free public skating, and disco skating with a DJ. City officials highlighted the importance of the arena in promoting youth programming, sports, and healthy living in Brandon. Ice schedules and programming details are available on the City of Brandon website and social media.
  
  
• Brandon is set to launch a crisis response unit next month, pairing police officers with psychiatric nurses to respond to mental health calls. The initiative stems from the Brandon Police Service’s Downtown Public Safety Strategy, which engaged residents, business owners, community partners, and officers through meetings and action sessions to identify downtown safety priorities. The collaborative units aim to provide empathetic, professional intervention while ensuring public safety, addressing situations that previously fell solely on officers without mental health training. The engagement summary also highlighted concerns about limited resources for mental health, homelessness, and substance abuse, with some participants advocating for a dedicated mental health hospital in the city. The strategy’s four priority areas include communication, augmenting enforcement, resources, and infrastructure.
  
  
• Brandon School Division Trustee candidate Himanshu Shah is focusing his campaign on school safety and supporting teachers and staff ahead of the October 16th byelection. A father of two and a public health professional, Shah emphasizes measures such as safety advisory committees, speed controls around school zones, and year-round reduced speed limits to protect students. He also highlights the need for smaller class sizes, more educational assistants, and fair workloads to help teachers meet student needs. Shah is advocating for increased funding for volunteer-run lunch programs, school resources, and additional classrooms to accommodate Brandon’s growing population. He supports building a fourth high school and expanding elementary school capacity. Shah’s campaign has received strong community support, and he faces six other candidates for the single Trustee seat. 
  
  
• Another Trustee candidate, Laura Armitage, is focusing on giving parents a stronger voice in school board decisions. As a parent of four and a long-time volunteer with École New Era School, she emphasizes her close connection to students, families, and teachers. Armitage wants to ensure school meal programs are sustainable, advocate for smaller class sizes, and address overcrowding by supporting a fourth high school and additional elementary school capacity. She also prioritizes teacher support, manageable workloads, and effective safety measures, including safety advisory committees. Armitage stresses open communication with families so their concerns are not only heard but acted upon. 

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

The Brandon School Division Board Trustee byelection will be held on October 16th. 

You can access the list of candidates, as well as voter information, at the link below:     

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

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